In-Box Review

Introduction

If the forums on this site and others are to be believed then this model of a OQF 6 Pdr Anti Tank Gun Mk IV on Carriage Mk III Airborne with Crew will be a popular model and a good seller for Bronco Models. The following is the introduction from the instruction sheet and written by Phil Greenwood.

The 6Pdr Anti-Tank gun was designed in the late 1930ís and ready for production in 1940. But the fall of France delayed production, due to urgent repeat orders for the 2Pdr, until 1942. The 6Pdr Mk II was a 57mm weapon initially manufactured with a 43 calibre barrel length. On its entry into service it could defeat the armour of any German or Italian tank likely to be encountered. Later Mk IV guns had the longer L/50 barrel with muzzle brake, increasing the muzzle velocity. The final version was the 6Pdr Mk IV on Carriage Mk III, generally referred to as the Airborne version. This had reduced width with shortened axles and a redesigned armour shield. The length was also shortened by employing 2 piece trail legs joined by a socket and bolt. These modifications allowed the gun to be carried in the Horsa troop glider. Guns were usually towed into battle by the Airborne version of the Jeep. It was issued to Air landing Anti-Tank Platoons of the Royal Artillery assigned to the 1st and 6th Airborne Division of the British Army and Polish Airborne Brigade.

Contents

Inside the now usual Bronco Models cardboard tray and card lid with an image of the 6Pdr on it you will find;

1 A4 instruction booklet

4 grey sprues

7 green sprues

2 plastic slide moulded tyres

2 decal sheets

1 photo etched fret

A length of cotton

1 print of the box lid artwork

Review

The overall quality of the mouldings is excellent with no flash or distortions that I could find. As with any mouldings made in a mould that consists of 2 or more parts there are very light mould seams that should be easy to clean up. The parts are well spaced out on the sprues and this should allow for easy removal of the parts. The finesse of some of the mouldings is as good as I have seen from any manufacturer and should make for a good model when finished depending on your abilities.

Instructions
The instruction booklet is A4 in size and is printed on a good quality semi gloss paper. The front cover has an image of the box top and an introduction written by Phil Greenwood in English and is also printed in German and Chinese. Inside the front cover is an icon guide which is worth taking a short time to read. This is followed by a painting chart which lists the colours being used and also paints by the following manufacturers;

Mr Hobby

Hobby Color

Humbrol

Tamiya

There is then a parts list which is worth checking to make sure all of the parts are in the box; to date I cannot remember a Bronco Models kit having parts missing.

The construction stages use the black and white line drawing approach along with some CAD images to help you along, and there are also a couple of corrections pre-pasted into the instruction booklet. Construction is complete in 17 stages not counting the figures and so even with the very small parts used during some stages this model should not take too long to complete.

Barrel and cradle
The barrel is a three piece offering with the rear section being in two halves, the front section is a single piece moulding which makes life easier for us. The muzzle brake is also a single piece moulding which is a good example of slide moulding technology. The design of the breach and block allows for the model to be depicted which the breach open or closed and can also be shown with a round being inserted if you wish to do some work with the gun crew or use an alternate set; I am not familiar with the loading instruction of the 6Pdr but looking at its design and how closely it mimics the 25Pdr I believe you use a fist to ram home the round and not lose any fingers. The cradle also made up of three parts and its design allows the barrel to move within the cradle. The sighting and firing mechanism is another area where Bronco Models has done a fantastic job, everything appears to be faithfully replicated however this will make assembly difficult due to the small size of the parts used.

Gun shield
The gun shield is a nice thickness with a very high level of detail on both the front and rear face. The parts that need to be added to the gun shield will make assembly difficult due to the provided detail and small size of parts which include some very small photo etched items.

Gun Carriage
The gun carriage with its split legs is again very well designed and which with care could be positioned in any position once the model is complete be that towed, stowed or deployed. The effort Bronco Models has put into the two trail legs will I am sure be appreciated. The wheels are I believe slide moulded offerings but I am unfamiliar with the tread pattern on the tyres; that does not mean they are wrong it is just a pattern I am unfamiliar with, but I suspect that due to the size of the treads it is a rough terrain tyre. The tyres are designed so that they can be rotated after being added to the model which will make painting easier if you decide to complete the model before getting the paint out. The last three pages covering construction basically show you how to articulate the trail legs for your chosen display and regardless of the option you opt for this should be a stunning if smallish model depending on your ability.

Also included with the gun are two types of ammunition box and Bronco Models has supplied two of each, in the belief that this model will be used in a small diorama setting I strongly suggest you purchase WWII British Accessories Set which contains a further nine ammunition cases for the 6Pdr. There are also six rounds of ammunition provided and detail painting instructions in the booklet for them, unusually though there are no spent rounds provided. The decals provided for these ammunition boxes will make them really stand out to those who look for detail.

Figures
There is a four man gun crew supplied with this product which are depicted in British Airborne uniform and shown as in in-action poses. The figures all break down in a similar fashion which is;

2 arms

2 legs

Upper torso

Lower torso

Head

Head wear

Uniform and crease detail is good which increases their appeal, the faces are excellent for plastic offerings with my only area of concern being the chin straps which are a little on the heavy side. the lower portion of the torso/jacket being a separate part does mean there should be some nice undercut detail which should further improve the look of the finished figures. A pet hate of mine has been included covering the construction and painting of the figures which is that Bronco Models has used drawings as a guide and I would have much preferred to have seen pictures of the actual figures painted and used for this purpose. A big plus for Bronco Models where the figures are concerned is that they have included NCO decals, Parachute Regt cap badge decals and Airborne wing decals for use with the set.

Conclusion

Another winner for Bronco Models if the forums are to be believed and with the British Airborne crewed Jeep also being released this is 1 part of a great 2 piece package which I am sure will be very tempting. The number of small parts and in particular small photo etched parts will test many of those that purchase this kit but it should be worth it in the end.

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Highs: It is always good to see artillery kits supplied with figures in tow.Lows: I would have preferred to see the figure painting guide to have used the actual figures supplied rather than drawn images.Verdict: Highly recommended.

Our Thanks to Bronco Models!This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

I have been building model kits since the early 70ís starting with Airfix kits of mostly aircraft, then progressing to the point I am at now building predominantly armour kits from all countries and time periods. Living in the middle of Salisbury plain since the 70ís, I have had lots of opportunitie...